“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” - Haim Ginott
About Haim
Born in Israel, the clinical psychologist and parent educator, Haim Ginott, spent much of his time studying the ways of behavior management and honing techniques to improve “congruent communication”. Teachers are supposed to communicate to their students in a way that is pleasant and unassuming; this will lead to congruent communication. When a problem or misbehavior is presented in class, Ginott believed that it is imperative the teachers address the actual situation at hand and not address the students’ character. His theory focuses largely on positivity in relationships and the understanding of relationship dynamics.
Contribution
One of the most fascinating aspects of Ginott’s work is the study on I-messages versus You-messages. Ginott thought that by using the word ‘you’ less and instead, using the word ‘I’, students would not feel as criticized, and in turn, become more comfortable and easier to teach. Generally, I-messages should be utilized if teachers want to express disappointment or anger. You-messages may have an adverse effect on students, leading to shyness or low self-worth. You-messages suggest blame, and encourage the recipient to deny wrong-doing or to blame back. For example, if you say, "You broke your promise," the answer is likely to be, "No, I didn't," which sets you up for a lengthy argument, or, "Well, you did, too," which also continues the conflict. I-messages simply state a problem, without blaming someone for it. This makes it easier for the other side to help solve the problem, without having to admit that they were wrong.
In Ginott’s own book titled “Between Parent and Child”, he explains there is a better way to talk to our children. “Using description that details delight and admiration, words that convey recognition of effort, and statements that transmit respect and understanding” (Ginott, 2003). Haim Ginott defined the difference between evaluative praise and appreciative praise. Respectively, one should never be used in the classroom and the latter when responding to effort. Appreciative praise helps to build teacher-student relationships, shape behavior, and provide an indication of a student's progress. Whereas evaluative praise may place undue burden on a student and become a destructive agent in the learning process. Ginott believed that any teacher could make a positive impact on his students, and create a learning environment with congruent communication, if they adhered to these three standards.
(1) the teacher must model communication that is congruent with student’s emotions and surroundings
(2) the teacher must include cooperative learning
(3) it is important to use discipline in place of punishment.
Application of Congruent Communication into the Classroom:
- Be sure to use clear communication
- Use sane Messages (do not let anger cloud judgement and decision making)
- Refrain from Punishment (use discipline instead)
- Correct by Directing (i.e. Use guidance rather than criticism)
- Focus on using appreciative praise, while avoiding evaluative praise
- Avoid sarcasm and ridicule
- Respect student's privacy
Webliography:
Ginott, H. (1965). Between Parent and Child. 46-47. Harmony Publishers
“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” - Haim Ginott
About Haim
Born in Israel, the clinical psychologist and parent educator, Haim Ginott, spent much of his time studying the ways of behavior management and honing techniques to improve “congruent communication”. Teachers are supposed to communicate to their students in a way that is pleasant and unassuming; this will lead to congruent communication. When a problem or misbehavior is presented in class, Ginott believed that it is imperative the teachers address the actual situation at hand and not address the students’ character. His theory focuses largely on positivity in relationships and the understanding of relationship dynamics.
Contribution
One of the most fascinating aspects of Ginott’s work is the study on I-messages versus You-messages. Ginott thought that by using the word ‘you’ less and instead, using the word ‘I’, students would not feel as criticized, and in turn, become more comfortable and easier to teach. Generally, I-messages should be utilized if teachers want to express disappointment or anger. You-messages may have an adverse effect on students, leading to shyness or low self-worth. You-messages suggest blame, and encourage the recipient to deny wrong-doing or to blame back. For example, if you say, "You broke your promise," the answer is likely to be, "No, I didn't," which sets you up for a lengthy argument, or, "Well, you did, too," which also continues the conflict. I-messages simply state a problem, without blaming someone for it. This makes it easier for the other side to help solve the problem, without having to admit that they were wrong.
In Ginott’s own book titled “Between Parent and Child”, he explains there is a better way to talk to our children. “Using description that details delight and admiration, words that convey recognition of effort, and statements that transmit respect and understanding” (Ginott, 2003). Haim Ginott defined the difference between evaluative praise and appreciative praise. Respectively, one should never be used in the classroom and the latter when responding to effort. Appreciative praise helps to build teacher-student relationships, shape behavior, and provide an indication of a student's progress. Whereas evaluative praise may place undue burden on a student and become a destructive agent in the learning process. Ginott believed that any teacher could make a positive impact on his students, and create a learning environment with congruent communication, if they adhered to these three standards.
(1) the teacher must model communication that is congruent with student’s emotions and surroundings
(2) the teacher must include cooperative learning
(3) it is important to use discipline in place of punishment.
Application of Congruent Communication into the Classroom:
- Be sure to use clear communication
- Use sane Messages (do not let anger cloud judgement and decision making)
- Refrain from Punishment (use discipline instead)
- Correct by Directing (i.e. Use guidance rather than criticism)
- Focus on using appreciative praise, while avoiding evaluative praise
- Avoid sarcasm and ridicule
- Respect student's privacy
Webliography:
Ginott, H. (1965). Between Parent and Child. 46-47. Harmony Publishers
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Classroom_Management_Theorists_and_Theories/Haim_Ginott
http://prezi.com/24obejpig0_9/theories-of-congruent-communication/
http://www.glogster.com/brittdefede/haim-ginott/g-6ku55ogk1gu26f91q5tvia0
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/i-messages
This page created by Andre Celestino on October 6th 2013